


Day 070

by Josh_the_Bard



Series: A Year in Kirkwall [70]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age II, Dragon Age: Origins
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-11
Updated: 2020-03-11
Packaged: 2021-03-01 05:27:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 718
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23100073
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Josh_the_Bard/pseuds/Josh_the_Bard
Series: A Year in Kirkwall [70]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1589257
Kudos: 1





	Day 070

Shale could feel the waves of spirit energy that crashed over it, threatening to tear its spirit from its body. Shale ignored the warnings, trusting the crystals covering it’s back to protect it from the worst of it, and pushed forwards towards the epicentre of the magic. There floated the arcane horror is soundly bones barely compelled beneath decrepit robes. Shale reached its powerful fists out and grabbed the corps by the head and legs savouring the crunching sound they made. It then twisted and pulled tearing the undead apart. It tossed the lifeless, well more lifeless, body aside and surveyed the battlefield. 

Mode of the demons and undead had been felled already but a few stragglers remained. Their templar escorts were being pushed back by a pair of rage demons and Shale figured it had better save them. It charged forwards driving the ice-infused crystals in its hands into the molten flesh of the demons. They sizzled and smoked and froze solid under the pressure of Shale’s fists. It left the templars to hack apart the frozen demon corpses, templars did love hacking things to pieces, and sent to find Wynne. 

The Wise Mage using magic to shake the floor, preventing the last few walking corpses from reaching her. Shale made short work of them and when they were crushed into corpse dust the battle was well and truly over. 

“The Gauntlet is passed. Only a Shaperate can bring the light. Conversion begins…”

They looked towards the other Golem. It had been silent up until now. 

“Was this all a test?” Asked The Short Templar? It looked as though it had had a hard time in the fight although Wynne had heard all its injuries almost as soon as they were received.

“Are you like I am?” Shale asked the golem. “A free willed golem?”

“We were once more then we are,” it replied. 

“So it would seem,” Shale agreed. “Was The Nexus Golem always free of was it created with a controlled rod that was later destroyed as I was?”

“We were once more then we are,” it replied again. Shale felt a profound disappointment.

“Can it engage in conversation?” Shale asked. “Or is it simply reciting words spoken long ago?”

Instead of answering, the Golem indicated a chest next to it. Wynne wandered over and looked inside.

“It has a collection of weapons and magical artifacts inside,” she said. “May we take these?”

The Golem held out one of its massive hands. “Conversion.”

“It is… a shop?” Shale was taken aback by wonderment. It looked through the assembled items, noting unique glowing crystals. They were perfectly suited for its fists and gave off a deep black light. Shale indicated the crystals and handed over coins until the golem closed its massive hand. Shale had once been that size, until it was shrunk down by the mage Wilhelm at the insistence of that harpy of a wife. It was used to towering over everything but dragons and looking up at the golem was unnerving for it. Still, engaging in commerce with another if its kind was strangely uplifting. Shale felt as though it was finally connecting to its past, in a way it had not since meeting Caradin and revisiting Cadash Thaig.

“We have come seeking answers about golems,” Wynne said. “Do you know anything about Amgarrak and the experiments that went on there?”

"Amgarrak tapped the blood,” said the golem, “spilled within the Stone.”

“What?” Wynne said. Shale doubted the mage had expected an answer; they had only come here to say they had followed every lead.

“The conversion was perversion,” said the golem.

Shale let out a deep laugh. “It reminds one of that tree doesn't it. What is it with mystical creatures and the rhyming.”

“What made it perverse, the blood spilled? The flesh used? The spirits bound? Or was it the location? Within the Stone?”

"The Stone lives beneath Orlais. Mathas gar na fornen pa salroka atrast."

“Shale?”

Shale shook its head. It had been too long since it had heard the dwarven language. The meaning was lost. At least any meaning that would aid The Wise Mage.

"Amgarrak tapped the blood, spilled within the Stone.”

“Come on,” Wynne said sadly. “We should return to Kirkwall before Meridith organized a search party.”


End file.
